More vascular-related conditions linked to parkinsonism risk
At least one of five specified vascular-related conditions was linked to higher parkinsonism risk than none, with a subdistribution hazard ratio, a relative risk measure, of 1.35.
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Populations- Studied:
- Cohort study of 456,862 people (Dose-response)
Editor of record: Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
The 456,862 White UK Biobank participants with genetic data and no diagnosed parkinsonism at entry were followed for a median of 11.8 years in a prospective cohort study. Researchers assessed five vascular-related conditions: heart disease caused by reduced blood flow, stroke, chronic kidney disease, damage to the retina at the back of the eye, and nerve damage.
During follow-up, 2,559 participants developed parkinsonism, a syndrome involving movement problems. The outcome excluded vascular parkinsonism. Having any listed condition was associated with higher risk, and the association grew stronger with more conditions. The analysis accounted for deaths during follow-up. The association appeared in both low- and high-genetic-risk groups, with no evidence that genetic risk altered it. Results remained broadly consistent after excluding diagnoses during the first 10 years.
Why it matters
Vascular health may offer clues to neurodegeneration, the progressive deterioration of nerve cells involved in age-related diseases.
Caveats
Other health differences between participants with and without vascular-related disease may have contributed to the association. The cohort included only White UK Biobank participants with genetic data.
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